facebook’s Sandberg Says Peter Thiel to remain on Board

facebook Inc. leaderoperating Officer Sheryl Sandberg said board member Peter Thiel is bankrollinglawsuitsagainst Gawker Media LLC based totally on his very ownprivate convictions, and his guidedoes notaffect his function at fb.

Thiel, a PayPal founder and early fb investor, these daysfound out that he changed into secretly backing Hulk Hogan’s lawsuit towards Gawker, ensuing in a $a hundred and forty million verdict against theinternet siteand perilous its lifestyles. fb, meanwhile, has been operating to enchantment to newsorganizations so they will use its products like live video and instant Articles.

“Peter did what he did on his personal, now not as a facebook board member,” Sandberg said Wednesday at Re/Code’s Code conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. “We failed torecognizeapproximatelyit.”

That contrasts with how fbhandledevery other outspoken board member, investor Marc Andreessen, who angered Indian citizenswhilst he suggested that they need to be extra open to fb‘s freefundamentalsproduct for newnetusers. Andreessen alluded to how colonialism helped the u . s . a ., and howthe onlineinitiative could, too.

That promptedfbchiefexecutive Officer Mark Zuckerberg to weigh in, saying that Andreessen’scomments “do no longerconstitute the mannerfb or I supposeat all.”

in that case, “it nearly felt like he becomespeaking for facebook,” Sandberg stated of Andreessen. “We felt we had toremark.”

“we’ve got very independent board contributors with very impartialmind that they percentage publicly,” she added. “they’renot afraid to thinkdifferentlyand isuppose that serves facebookproperly.”

Sandberg additionally rebuffed hypothesisapproximately her taking over the role of CEO at Walt Disney Co., pronouncing: “I do notwantany otheractivity.” That consists ofrunning for political office, too.